It’s difficult to write an update on the scholarship-offer status of D’Cota Dixon, because the status keeps changing.

In the past four days, the 5-foot-11, 179-pound Dixon has received offers from Louisville and West Virginia to add to his list of what is already comprised of offers from Ball State, UMass, NC State, North Carolina and Vanderbilt.

His latest was from Louisville, and Dixon is starting to realize that he’s become somewhat of a big deal. He remains humble and unfazed, however, and he said he’s not even sure how many scholarship offers he has received.

“I don’t even know any more. I’ve heard I have a few others but my coach said I shouldn’t worry about any of that,” Dixon said. “I’m really just focused on the season anyway and not worried about that stuff right now.”

Dixon, who is the brother of former Florida Gators defensive back Daryl Dixon (1999-2003), now an assistant coach at Ball State, as well as graduating senior Dexter Dixon, said he has learned plenty about the recruiting process by watching former teammate and recent Ohio State signee James Clark this year.

“We’d be at track practice right before he signed and he would have all these coaches there from Ohio State and Florida and Clemson and coaches calling him like non-stop,” Dixon said. “He also had a lot of social media contacts and attention from fans and the coaches and everything. He said it was a crazy experience.

“I’m just happy to be blessed with the opportunity.”

The opportunities will be plentiful.

Dixon projects as a college cornerback, but he plays mostly safety and running back for the Barracudas. They will need more offensive firepower from Dixon and teammates like Dwayne Wood, Marcus Johnson and Terrill Jefferson next season to offset the loss of Clark, Dexter Dixon and Diamante Mitchell. New Smyrna was 10-0 during this past regular season, but the 'Cudas lost in the first round of the state playoffs to Winter Haven.

“Yep, all those were key players and our offense was very explosive ,” Dixon said. “We won’t really have all those dual threats like we did ... no 4.3 speed, no James Clark. But we have a lot of young guys coming up and they just need to get that varsity feeling and not be nervous and scared.

“We already know coach is looking up to me to be the leader, and also my brother Dwayne Wood and our quarterback Marcus Johnson, we need to step up, to get these guys ready. It ain’t just me. The pressure to perform is on the whole team … the o-line, the d-line … everybody.”

Dixon says he’ll play whatever position will get him on the field, but if given a choice, he likes to be the one doling out the punishment.

“I like to hit so I’d say safety,” Dixon said of his preferred position. “But right now I’m just trying to get better and trying to soak up everything I can.

“I used to play corner when I started playing varsity when I was a freshman, but sophomore year I didn’t play much defense. Last year I played both ways, full-time. I’m still getting better [on defense]. I’m not as good as I want to be at all. I’m a long ways from my goal.”

He also realizes his work in the classroom is what will get him to that next level. He saw Clark excell in the classroom and on the field, and he’s seen others take the opposite path. He currently holds a GPA above 3.0.

“You have to try to keep things in order. Football teaches you to be disciplined,” Dixon said of balancing football and academics. “People try to make football all about working out and all that, but you have to be disciplined and dedicated to everythig else to get it right.”

Dixon had three interceptions as a junior and averaged about five tackles a game. Offensively, he ran for just over 500 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. The No. 6-ranked player in the Sentinel’s 2014 Central Florida Super60 said having seven early offers is nice, but he’s not done grinding.

“It feels good, but I’m not satisfied,’ Dixon said. “I know I still have a lot more work to do to improve and grow. I just need to stay focused and keep working hard to be able to have a future ahead of me.

“All the attention doesn’t really get to my head. I don’t want to get all cocky or full of myself. I still gotta play ball. At the end of the day it’s about winning championships and ball games. It does feel good though … truly a blessing.”